Will Forte was born on June 17, 1970, in Alameda County, California, United States. His full birth name is Orville Willis Forte IV. He is the son of Patricia Forte, an artist and former schoolteacher, and Orville Willis Forte III, a financial broker. During his childhood, his family moved to Moraga and later to Lafayette, both located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Frequently teased about his middle name, "Willis," he chose to go by "Will" to avoid bullying during his school years.
Forte discovered a passion for comedy early in life and admired comedians like Steve Martin. He attended Acalanes High School, graduating in 1988. He later enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he earned a bachelor's degree in history.
Following in his father's footsteps, Forte initially worked as a financial broker at Smith Barney Shearson in Beverly Hills. However, he found little satisfaction in the financial sector and eventually quit to pursue a career aligned with his passion: writing and comedy.
In 2002, Forte joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (SNL) during its 28th season. Among his many impressions, he was frequently tasked with portraying President George W. Bush, a role he acknowledged feeling uneasy about. He gained greater acclaim for creating the character MacGruber, a bumbling yet enthusiastic special operations agent, parodying the television character MacGyver. The sketch’s humor centered around MacGruber's inability to defuse bombs due to absurd personal distractions. The character became so popular that a series of Pepsi commercials were launched, even featuring Richard Dean Anderson, the original MacGyver, as MacGruber’s father.
Building on the sketch’s success, MacGruber was adapted into a feature film released in 2010. Filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in just 28 days, the production schedule overlapped with ongoing SNL commitments, making it a particularly demanding time for the cast and crew.
After departing from SNL in 2010, Forte encountered a career slump, worrying his run in show business might be ending. During this period, he took on supporting roles in several comedies including That's My Boy, Rock of Ages, and The Watch, though these films did not receive strong critical acclaim.
In 2013, Forte shifted genres with his first dramatic role in the Irish independent film Run & Jump. Later that year, he portrayed David Grant, the lead character's son, in Alexander Payne’s critically acclaimed drama Nebraska. The role earned him widespread praise and marked a new phase in his acting career.
| Birth Date: | 17 Jun, 1970 |
| Age: | 49 yrs |
| Citizenship: | United States of America |
| Birth Place: | Alameda County |
| residence: | Santa Monica |
| Education: | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Gender: | Male |
| Description: | American actor, comedian, writer |
| Net Worth 2021: | 14 million |
